Let's be honest: Indiana was never a College Football Playoff team.
The Hoosiers earned their spot in the College Football Playoff with an 11-1 overall record, but there was never any sign that Indiana could compete with the powerhouses of college football. That's why coming into the playoff, we listed Indiana as the 11th out of 12 teams, just barely ahead of Boise State.
Indiana didn't have the speed, size, or athleticism to compete with Notre Dame and it was evident on Friday night. The Fighting Irish took control after the Kurtis Rourke interception and never looked back, coming away with a 27-17 win over the Hoosiers in a game that wasn't even that close.
As we look at the teams on the outside of the College Football Playoff field, here's a look at three teams that could've presented a tougher challenge for the Fighting Irish in Round 1 than what Indiana presented.
1. South Carolina Gamecocks
South Carolina was one of the hottest teams to close out the regular season and the Gamecocks truly believed in themselves, despite being left on the outside-looking-in of the College Football Playoff.
South Carolina was just a couple of plays away from being a 10-2 or even 11-1 team on the season, and they were coming off a road win over Clemson, in which LaNorris Sellers carried them to victory. Clemson is not by any stretch of the imagination a bad team — though some opposing fanbases want to pretend the Tigers are — and South Carolina was playing some of its best football.
Can you imagine the rushing attack of Sellers and Rocket Sanders going up against that Notre Dame front. Can you imagine if those Gamecock edge-rushers had been on the field to pressure Riley Leonard? The result may have still been a Notre Dame win, but it certainly would've been closer than Indiana's effort.
2. Miami Hurricanes
Miami lost a tough one to Syracuse to close out the season and that left the Hurricanes without a spot in the ACC Championship and, subsequently, the College Football Playoff.
Miami has no defense, but they still have one of the most explosive offenses in the country. And, yes, it's far more explosive than the Indiana offense. Cam Ward's dual-threat ability — especially with a second chance after blowing it in Syracuse — would have been a challenge for Notre Dame to handle.
Though the Irish still likely would've won, this one would've been close and there would have been plenty of fireworks along the way, too. Say what you want about Miami players in the cold, this would've been more of a game than most want to say.
3. BYU Cougars
The BYU Cougars were never even considered for an at-large berth in the College Football Playoff. It would likely be easy for us to make the argument that Ole Miss or even Alabama — of course, the Tide did lose to Oklahoma by a wider margin — could have presented more of a challenge for Notre Dame than Indiana, but we believe that you could make the argument that even BYU could have posted more of a challenge.
Now, in a lot of ways, Notre Dame is just a better and more talented BYU.
The Fighting Irish are physical up-front and they have a defense that swarms to the ball. Offensively, they do just enough to be dangerous, but they're no juggernaut either. BYU would've likely at least been able to match the physicality that Notre Dame presented and that could've given us something worth watching.
Regardless, it doesn't really matter. Notre Dame won and the Irish will now move on to the quarterfinals to take on the Georgia Bulldogs.